


Strings

by Rookmoon



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, I Tried, Kankurou is a Sweetheart, Kissing, Other, Red String of Fate, So Proud of This, Some Humor, Trees
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 02:06:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18378728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rookmoon/pseuds/Rookmoon
Summary: The red string of fate is something that people have idly speculated about for ages. They seem to be made from a distinctly difficult chakra, as are only felt when in a small radius. Unfortunately, this has never been tested simply because of how hard it would be to find soulmates that haven't already met. Eventually, it was accepted as a simple fact of the world. You're not sure how you feel about the whole thing, but you do know that something seems strange when a trio of ninja from Suna arrive, and the one called Kankurou catches your attention.





	Strings

Konohagakure is quiet when they arrive. The giant gates welcome the sand siblings, and a trio of shinobi wait for them just inside of the giant wall. You aren’t a part of that group.

Instead, you’re at home, looking at the pendants that your great grandmother had given you before she died.

Two halves made to fit together perfectly, as they have since the chains were forged and the stones set inside of them. Built to stand the test of time, as are the bonds they represent.

Before she passed, she had told you that one was for you and the other is for the person on the other end of Fates red string. She has said that as long as you have one, and your partner has the other, you'll be able to feel the comfort of that person in the depths of your soul. Warmth would envelop you, as would their love. The pendants would make it so you'd never permanently separate. You would be bound to meet once more.

Part of you wanted to believe it more than anything, but there was no way to know until you found your match. At this point, you aren’t sure if you have a partner at all, in spite of everything that you’ve seen proving otherwise in other people’s lives.

You hang the necklaces back where they were before, not wanting to think about things that won't happen. When you’re tired of lying in bed like a sad lump, you go out and sit on your balcony, looking at the bustling street below. You watch as a strange group walks past your home and deeper into Konoha. The three familiar shinobi are nothing interesting. It’s the strangers that catch your eye, but there’s something going on here. You look at the one with the gourd, letting your eyes drift over the girl with the fan, and the guy with strangely wrapped things stuck to his back. 

Something feels off about one of them, but you can’t tell who it is from here.

Curious, you leave the relative safety of your home to wander the village.

You have to find out which of these shinobi is the different one, and why you’re feeling like this. It’s strange to think that something that would usually be trivial would be the main reason why you’re out and about at the moment.

Besides, something in your soul was tugging at you. It's obvious that something important is close by, and you need to find it. Whenever you run past the trio of ninja from the rooftops, you always look back. The string tugging on your spirit to let you know that you’re going in the wrong direction. Eventually, you’re just watching them, wondering why your string is tugging you closer, ever closer, to discovery.

The one with a bundle on his back looks around. His eyes are wide, but he’s not looking at the rooftops. He doesn’t see you.

Part of you wishes that he had, but you can't dwell on that. You need to find out what's going on with your chest, and (more importantly) where it's trying to lead you.

You don't realize it until you've almost completely mowed the ninja over that he's who you've been looking for, and the only thing that prevents that is the fact that he steps to the left before you just about crash into a pole.

So there you are, in all your glory. Standing in front of a very intimidating group of shinobi. Two of the three seem ready for a fight, but the one with paint on his face is just gawking at you like you’ve got three faces.

Your train of thought cuts short when you look him in the eyes. Everything around you fades, until all you can see is him. The way his mouth open in shock, how his expression softens as he looks at you.

This guy may be a stranger, but you know him deep in your bones. This shinobi is the one you've been missing for so long, and this convoluted encounter is all you've needed to find that part of you that you had thought you would never encounter.

When he reaches towards you, your hand goes up up to meet him like the most natural thing in the world, and when you touch, it was like fireflies had burst from your fingertips and trailed up your arm. It feels exciting and dramatic, even though you’re only a couple of feet apart.

Everything was warm. Comfortable. Safe.

Someone in the group clears their throat. It was the girl of the bunch. She puts her hands on her hips, and stares at her brother from the corner of her eye. “Kankurou, if you and your new fling want to go, you don't have to come with us. We were all going to split up eventually anyways.”

You bristle at that but the one you've searched for, Kankurou, smiles at the blonde. He takes you by the hand, and the others continue down the meandering path that leads to the Hokage's office. One of the three escorts look like they’re about to say something, but the red head walking past them is enough to get them to continue. The girl waves to her brother before following her younger sibling through the buildings.

You watch them go, wondering if this was too much of a coincidence when your thoughts are interrupted.

“You know any good places around here?” He takes a look around, but his eyes are always drawn back to you.

“There's a training area close by. Lots of trees to climb and training places. They should be empty this time of day if you want to take a look.”

“Sounds good to me.”

You lead the way while Kankurou takes in your home village.

He’s making small talk the whole way to the clearing, getting to know you, and telling you about himself in kind. It’s a pleasant conversation. You find out that he had once made a dog out of sand to entertain his sister when she was smaller, but it fell apart almost as soon as he tried to use chakra to control it. Tiny Temari had laughed at him for that. He also told you about the time he saw his brother make a hand entirely out of sand. That was particularly startling for Kankurou, especially when it started chasing after him by running on it’s fingers. He doesn’t remember if little Gaara had laughed or not, but he shrieked so loudly that his mother had come out and pick him off of a high wall.

You tell him about the time you jumped a gap between buildings before you had been properly trained on a dare from your little brother, and the pair of you laugh together.

You lead him up your favorite tree, and he takes it all in stride. Soon the two of you are sitting side by side in one of the branches.

Conversation gets a bit more interesting after that.

“My. I knew my string would be attached to someone beautiful, but this is entirely unexpected.”

You come face to smirk with Kankurou. He had caught you off guard and he knows it, but you aren't the kind of person to leave something like that unchallenged. After all, there's a reason you aren't already seeing someone. Some guys just couldn’t handle it when a girl can flirt.

“Really? I had no idea that my other half would wear more makeup than I do.” Your cheeky grin tells him that you’re joking, but the guy is still fuming. If the little pout is anything to go by.

...Maybe you’re not as good as you thought.

Right when you’re a little worried that your joke went a little far, an easy grin is on his face.

“It's actually not makeup.”

“Then what is it?”

“War paint.” If you don't know better, you'd think he was embarrassed. “Helps with intimidation techniques.”

“Oh?” You lean closer to him, brushing your fingers over the collar of his hood. “Maybe you should show me what's so intimidating about purple paint all over your face.”

His eyes narrow just a bit, and you take the opportunity to look a bit more closely at the angular makeup on his face, and the way it further sharpens his features. You can see how he could be intimidating, not that you would tell him that.

“Whatever it is, it suits you. I like it.” You whisper, mostly to yourself, but he catches it anyway, if the growing grin is anything to go by.

“You know, I think it would suit you too. We can give it a shot if you want.” He rumbles.

You nod, thinking that no matter what happens, it'll be a good time.

It doesn't surprise you when he leans in and pressed his soft sandpaper lips to yours. Their slow movement is mesmerizing, and you let your eyes slip shut as you continue to kiss him long and slow.

Eventually, the two of you seperate. Your breath is quick, and you’re satisfied when you notice that his is as well. Kankurou looks at you. His eyes are filled with emotion until he looks down at your lips. He snickers and you look around for some sort of mirror. You take out a sharpened kunai, and see that your lips are smudged with purple. It doesn’t go with what you’ve got on at all, but you laugh along with him.

When you try to wipe it off, you realize that it’s only smearing more. This paint isn’t going to come off easy. This only makes Kankurou laugh more, but you don’t really care. So what if everyone will know that you made out with one of the ninja from Sunagakure. He’s your soulmate. Who cares?

Not you, and definitely not Kankuro if the way he’s leaning in for more affection is anything to go by.

He tugs at the wrappings on his body and he ties the sturdy bandages to the tree, as well as the things that are hanging off of him. You notice that it’s still easily within reach, but now it’s easier to hold onto him. He takes you into his arms as he leans in once more.

If this is how you’ll end up with purple lips, you’re more than happy with it. After a while, the both of you are satisfied with the amount of making out, and you just sit in the tree, enjoying each other’s company.

The sun sets and the stars are out before either one of you really stirs from your perch in the tree. You’re the first one to stand and stretch.

“Hey, Kankurou?”

“Yeah?” He still seems a little breathless.

“Didn’t you have somewhere to be earlier?”

“I did, but the thing is, if I kept going back there, neither of us would be sitting here right now.”

“You don’t know that.”

“But I know I wouldn’t be here with you.”

“Why’s that?”

“Temari was wanting to spend some time with a shinobi from around here, and someone’s gotta keep an eye on her, and Gaara is a whole different story.”

“But instead you went off with some kunoichi, and here we are.”

“Sitting in a tree.”

You sit still for a second before you decide you can’t help it.

“K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

Kankurou looks befuddled before what you said registers, and he’s laughing so hard it looks like he’ll fall right out of the tree.

“First comes love,”

“Then comes marriage,”

“Then whatever comes next.” is his teasing response.

You look at him like he’s an idiot, and he’s laughing harder than before. You really like the sound of it, but you don’t like the sound of him hitting another branch a few yards down when he slips a little too far. His stunned face gets you laughing again, and now there are two idiots laughing their heads off in a tree.

You untie his stuff for him, intent on bringing it down. It’s heavy enough to have you almost falling as well, but you manage to get it to him with minimal falling, and without any broken things. Not a big thing for a kunoichi, but whatever.

You sit beside him on the branch and he sits up.

When his gear is back in place, he stands and stretches. “So… How’s this whole thing going to work?”

“Huh?”

“This long distance thing.” Kankurou’s eyes are on the distant mountain. The one behind the village with the past Hokage carved into it’s face. “You’re a shinobi of the Leaf. I’m a shinobi of the Sand. If we ever have to fight, I don’t know what I would do. I'm not all that interested in leaving the Sand, and I'd imagine you feel the same about leaving the Leaf.”

“It’s a good thing our lands are allies. If anything, I'm sure we'll run into each other again. After all, there's not much that can truly keep people apart when they were meant to be together.”

“That's true.” Kankurou smiles and jumps out of the tree. “I really should get back to my siblings. I'll see you around.” He raises a hand to say goodbye.

“I'll see you soon! Come by before you go back home! I have something I need to give you!” The words are out of your mouth before you can really process what you’re saying.

He just nods as he walks toward the village.

When he’s out of sight, you run toward your own home. You’re muttering to yourself the whole way. You don’t notice the others in the village glancing at you before going back to their own lives. “Why did I say that?” Your feet are quick to pad across the dirt paths in the village. “ I don’t even know if he would want to stick around for that long.” You’re getting closer to home, but you’re still far from the answer that you’re looking for. “Should I really give him the necklace?”

That’s the million dollar question right there. 

Should you do it? Do you dare?

By the time you get up to your room, you don’t know if you’d have the guts to see him again. You wobble and fall onto your bed. The necklaces hanging from your walls are shining from the light that the electric bulb casts on them. You don’t know if you should give one to him. You didn't really say anything about it either. It was all vegue. You could use that to your advantage, but still.

“Agh, why?!” You groan, pushing your palms into your eyes.

Knowing that if you don’t give him the gift that was given to you leaves a dull ache in your chest. So does the thought of him rejecting it, and you by extension.

There’s only one way you can know for sure. You’ve got to do it. Don’t chicken out, and give him the pendant.

Besides, what harm could it do?

…..aside from seeing his face twist into abhorrent disgust…..

But you’re not thinking about that. It’s the furthest thing from the back of your mind as you gather your courage and put on your favorite of the two. The gleaming stone rests against your collarbones, and you smile at the small thing. It’s somehow comforting just to wear it.

You feel better about this already.

Filled with conviction, you grip the chain of the matching necklace and carefully tuck it into your pocket for later.

Just for when you see Kankurou again.

A few days of wearing one necklace and fiddling with the other passes slowly. You begin to wonder if you had missed them leaving while you were thinking about all the ways this could go wrong. You thought you had been keeping an eye on all the places he might visit before going home. Maybe you missed him somewhere along the way, and he’s long gone.

You’re sitting back in your favorite thinking tree when you see him wandering around. You’re not entirely sure what he’s doing here, until you hear his voice.

“I swear it was around here somewhere.” He grumbles, scratching at the back of his head. “All these trees look the same to me.”

There’s a prime opportunity here, and you’re happy to indulge in a bit of fun before you have to say goodbye. You sneak over to where he is, careful to conceal your chakra signature and stay well hidden by the trees.

He turns, to where you were before and scans the branches. You walk under the branch of the tree, so you’re head is a little above his, just out of his line of sight. You snicker when you hear him growl, “Why do they all look the same?”

“Because they’re basically the same tree cloned over and over and over again.” You continue like he wasn’t just talking to himself. “It’s actually a fun conspiracy. Some people say that most of the trees in this forest are just really good illusions and the only one who really knows what’s real and what’s not is the Hokage, but he’s been sworn to secrecy on behalf of the Land of Fire.”

You drop to the ground in front of him, and Kankurou picks you up, whirling you around like a rag doll. “I should have known you’d pull something like this!” He shouts, putting you down and taking a step back. “We’re set to leave in a few hours, and…. Here I am. Like we agreed.”

You nod, not really wanting to say anything. Instead of speaking, you pull the necklace from your pocket, and hold your hand out to him. When you open it, the necklace rests in the palm of your hand.

Kankurou picks it up, looks it over, and slips it over his head. It sits right where it should on him. You think it’s very fitting.

“What’s this for?”

“It’s from my great grandmother. She gave them to me, and told me that when I found the one on the other end of my red string of Fate, that these would ensure a second meeting, and maybe more, as well as other things. I thought I should give it to you before you go home.”

He picks it up, and looks at the tiny stone. It shines in the light of the sun. He looks at you, with all the admiration you could hope to see in someone’s eyes. “For a while, I thought finding you was hopeless, and after I left, it felt like a dream. It’s nice to know that I’ll have proof of meeting you, and that we’ll meet again.”

You rush forward and hug him for all you’re worth, and he squeezes back just as tightly. When he presses a kiss to your head, you nuzzle him back. You’re tempted to press a kiss to his chest, but you don’t. Instead, you squeeze him just a little more. When you’re just about convinced that you could hold onto him forever, you hear Temari behind you.

“You two lovebirds done yet? I wanna go home already.”

Kankurou chuckles, and you laugh against him, not wanting to let go.

But you have to. All too soon, he’s on his way back to Suna, and you’re already missing his warmth, and his smile when you feel the pendant burn through the fabric of your shirt. It’s warmth rushes through you, and you know without a shadow of a doubt, that you’ll see him again and that he loves you more than anything. Your own affection and sadness at seeing him go is reflected back through the chain around his neck, and you grip yours tight.

You’re never taking it off again.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I've been working on this for a while. I'm so glad it turned out like this!
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you think!


End file.
